Campaign signs are going up and candidates are out spreading their messages as election day for Salt Spring’s first Local Community Commision (LCC) draws nearer.
The 15 candidates officially approved by the Capital Regional District (CRD) to run for the four open seats on the commission are: Gayle Baker, Jesse Brown, Kylie Coates, Benjamin Corno, David Courtney, Lloyd Cudmore, Nejmah Guermoudi, Jamie Harris, Jennifer Kerrigan, Jennifer Lannan, Eric March, Donald Marcotte, Jenny McClean, Earl Rook and Brian Webster.
Election day is May 27; the Driftwood has profiled 14 candidates who have reached out to us so far: Baker, Rook and Webster in our April 12 edition; Brown, Corno and Guermoudi in our April 26 edition; and March, Coates, Marcotte, Cudmore, Harris, Kerrigan, Lannan and McClean in our May 3 edition.
Today we present the last candidate to submit information by the press deadline, David Courtney.
David Courtney said he “couldn’t resist” an opportunity to move from Southern Ontario to Vancouver in 1987.
“Sailing was my passion back then,” said Courtney. “My wife Wendy and I discovered Salt Spring Island, the Gulf Islands and the amazing West Coast. Like most, completely gobsmacked by the sheer beauty of this special place on planet earth.”
The pair bought their first cabin on the island in 1999, and after a 42-year career with Air Canada, Courtney retired as a Boeing 777 captain in April 2020. Courtney expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to fly professionally for so long — his first flying lesson, he said, was at age 18 — and he continues to fly recreationally.
Courtney said it was articles he read in the Driftwood that spurred him to form “Patrons of Route 6” in late 2021, organizing a petition garnering more than 2,800 signatures on Change.org to demand action to improve the Vesuvius Bay to Crofton ferry route.
“With the new terminals coming for the fall of 2026 for both Vesuvius Bay and Crofton, along with a two-vessel service using the new eco Island Class vessels, we’ve made some major strides with our persistent advocating and networking,” said Courtney. “If elected as one of your commissioners, that dogged persistence will continue with the help of the other commissioners with the current issues of the day.”
Courtney was recently acclaimed as a Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District trustee; he said in addition to persistence, he brings experience mitigating risk, addressing time constraints, and a strong sense of fiscal responsibility.
“If elected as your commissioner in the new LCC governance model, it would be an honour to serve the ratepayers and our community of Salt Spring Island,” said Courtney. To read more of his positions visit davidcourtney.ca.
Voting & Debate Details
Qualified residents and non-resident property electors may cast their vote on general voting day, Saturday, May 27, or at the advance voting opportunities on Wednesday, May 17 and 24 at Community Gospel Chapel and the Salt Spring library, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Mail ballot voting is also available to all residents (including renters) and non-resident property electors in the Salt Spring Island Electoral Area, but the mail ballot application form was due by May 5. The deadline to submit completed mail-in ballots is May 25 at 4 p.m.
For more information on the available voting options, people should visit crd.bc.ca/ssi-vote.
An all-candidates forum was hosted by Transition Salt Spring and other groups via Zoom on Tuesday night. It is scheduled to be available for viewing on transitionsaltspring.com.
The Driftwood and Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce have organized an in-person candidates debate for Fulford on Tuesday, May 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. It will be videotaped and available for viewing later as well.
Last October Salt Spring voters approved by referendum a change in governance to consolidate several CRD services under the umbrella of an LCC, with four elected individuals joining the electoral area director to form the LCC.